Unusual Informants
by Shutterfly Simmons
Summary: When the gaang stumbles across a plot to assassinate Zuko, it's up to them to keep the fire lord safe. Sokka's detective skills have never been more useful.
1. Chapter 1

**Unusual Informants**

 _By: Shutterfly Simmons_

* * *

"What do you mean?" Zuko demanded. "I can't miss this! It's the anniversary of the war's end. We've been planning the celebration for months now." If Zuko had been sitting in the throne room, then the flames on his dais would have shot up to match his anger. Luckily for him, his dining room didn't have the same layout.

"I know it seems last minute, but you should consider you own safety, Zuko," Iroh said, pouring himself another cup of tea. Zuko suspected it was ginseng, but he had never been able to identify hot leaf juice the way his Uncle could.

"Last minute? Uncle, it's only two days from now! Where did you get your information from, anyway?" Iroh took a another sip of his tea before answering.

"I believe your friends discovered the plot on their stroll through through the marketplace yesterday evening. It was such a beautiful day yesterday. There was just the right amount of sunlight with a gentle breeze. I wish you had gone with them. I keep telling you that you need to get out of your office and relax a little." Zuko rolled his eyes at the last part.

He sighed before replying, "I've only been Fire Lord for a few years now. There's still a lot of work to be done, not to mention all the preparations for the festival." Bringing up the upcoming event, reminded Zuko of what they were arguing about.

"Speaking of that, I still think that it's nothing to be worried about. But, if it makes you feel better, I'll ask the others what they think and let the guards know to be on alert." He was pretty sure that that had nothing to reassure his Uncle, but by now, Zuko had learned that arguing with Uncle Iroh never ended with his victory. Pushing his plate back, he got up from the table. He walked towards the guest bedrooms of the palace. His friends usually slept in, a luxury he didn't have.

To his surprise he found all of their rooms empty. After asking a few passing servants, Zuko realized that they were eating in the palace courtyard. He was mildly offended that he hadn't been invited but figured that they had just assumed that he was busy. He heard Sokka laughing loudly as he walked closer to their picnic.

"Hey, Sparky. Finally decided to join us, I see." Everyone turned towards him. There were plates of freshly cooked food lying on the soft grass. The scent of it made him hungry, even though he had just eaten.

"I would have joined you earlier if I had known where you were," Zuko said, grumpily.

"Sorry," Katara apologized, "but, you're usually busy working, so we assumed that you wouldn't be able to show up. And, the picnic was just a spur of the moment thing. We didn't plan it or anything. You're welcome to join us, though."

"It's alright, I ate earlier. Actually, I came here to ask you something."

"You want to know more about the plot, don't you?" Sokka asked, becoming more serious.

"How did you-" Sokka shrugged.

"We figured that once General Iroh told you, you'd want to know all the details, so that you could convince him it wasn't a threat." _Was he that predictable?_ Zuko wondered.

"It started with the walk we took yesterday," Sokka began.

* * *

 _Toph groaned,_ _"Hurry up, Snoozles. How long does it take to buy a new sword sheath, anyway?"_

 _"Shh," Sokka hissed. "You can't rush these things." He rubbed his hand against one. Toph huffed and blew on the long strands of hair that fell onto her face._

 _"Whatever, just finish up. Then, we can go back to annoying Sparky's guards." Zuko's stiff stony faced soldiers were always fun to mess with. She waited somewhat quietly for a few minutes, before getting bored again. Lazily, Toph earth bent Sokka a few inches to the side of where he was standing before. He shrieked in a rather unmanly way as he tripped._

 _"Okay, okay, I'm done," Sokka grumbled, brushing the dust off his clothes._

 _"Finally. Let's go find Twinkletoes and his girl friend. I'll bet you 5 gold pieces that they'll be kissing when we find them."_

 _"Deal, let me just buy this sheath." Ha handed a small sack of coins over to the owner before walking out with Toph._

 _"So, where are they?"_

 _"Near the statue of that old guy with the oddly shaped face," Toph answered. They walked towards it._

 _"Oh that one. I never did understand how that guy could go out in public with a beard like that. Guess the royal barbers back then had odd tastes."_

 _"I didn't know you were such an expert on beard styles, Sokka," a familiar voice said from behind him. He turned around to see and Aang and Katara holding back laughter._

 _"Laugh all you like, but even you have to admit that it looks ridiculous," he grumbled. Aang gave up trying to suppress his laughter._

 _"It does look like he had a koala sheep on his face."_

 _"Exactly! See, he gets it!"_

* * *

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Is there a point to this?" he asked.

"I'm getting there, relax," Sokka replied. He sighed, this was going to take forever. Katara seemed to notice his impatience.

"Why don't I skip ahead?" she suggested.

"Please do," he muttered, ignoring Sokka's protests.

* * *

 _"Now that we're at his house, what do we do?"_

* * *

"Wait, whose house were you at?" Zuko asked.

"Your adviser, Katsu's. Sokka and Toph stalked-"

"Followed," interrupted Sokka. "I prefer the term followed."

"Fine, followed him home."

"Why?" Zuko demanded.

"Do you really want to know?" Katara asked, wearily.

"Probably not, keep going."

"My brother and Toph were about to proceed with their, um, earlier plans, when we heard him mention the festival. We got closer and realized that he was with some other men, discussing the security."

* * *

 _"You know how paranoid the Fire Lord is. Are you sure that we can manage it?" Katsu asked_

 _"It's been made quite clear that he'll be out during the festival. It's our best bet. By taking him out in public, it makes both him and his policies seem weak. It lets the world see the level of our resources and connections. The fire nation may seem at peace now, but we can make this the calm before the storm," another voice answered._

 _"And, if we're caught?"_

 _"Many still see the fire nation as ruthless. The worst he can do is throw us in prison. Anything more, and he'd only be confirming their suspicions."_

 _"You should go now. You know how the servants get. If you're here to long, they'll spread word of our meeting."_

* * *

"That doesn't mean he means me," Zuko said, as soon as they finished. They all exchanged a look.

"It kind of does." Before Zuko could interrupt, Sokka continued. "Think about, you're the only one worth going through all this trouble for."

"Are you forgetting that Aang is the avatar? It could just as easily be him."

"They mentioned that you couldn't do anything more than throw them in prison without making the _fire nation_ look bad. Aang's not fire nation, you are." Zuko got up.

"Then, I'll confront Katsu, right now. Then,-"

"Then, they'll continue with the plan, anyway. Look, politicians like him aren't going to do any of the dirty work. They offer the means and information to others, to do it for them. Katsu was probably just an informant. Getting rid of him, now won't change anything."

"Then, what do you suggest?" Sokka grinned mischievously.

"How much do you trust me?"

* * *

 _(A/N): I do intend to continue this, but for now it ends here, because of word restrictions. Written for Round 2 of the Probending Circuit._

 **Word count:**

1,324 words

 **Prompts:**

 **King**

Dialogue: "You can't rush these things"

Character: Zuko

Restriction: Exactly 1,324 words (Not including author's note)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

"No," Zuko said, immediately.

Sokka protested, "But, you didn't even thi-"

"No," Zuko repeated. Sokka pouted. Sokka looked to the others for support.

"Come on, guys, don't you think-" he started.

"No," the others interrupted in unison.

"Not to shoot down you idea, Sokka," Aang said. "In fact, I'm sure we can keep it as a back up. It just seems, um, unlikely."

"Unlikely?"

"He means really terrible," Toph answered. Sokka glared at her before remembering that she couldn't see it. It was the principle of the thing that mattered.

"I know it sounds difficult, but I'm sure we could pull it off," he insisted.

Toph bluntly stated, "Snoozles, there's absolutely no way that'll ever work."

"We've done crazier things," Sokka said, defensively. Katara sighed.

"Sokka, have any of those crazier plans actually worked?" she asked. Sokka opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. It always seemed like they had millions of ridiculous sounding plans, but he couldn't remember any of them off the top of his head. Zuko crossed his arms.

"I guess that settles it, then. That plan is out."

"The dance party!" Sokka announced triumphantly, earning more than a couple odd stares. "That was a crazy plan that worked!"

"The what?" Zuko snorted. Aang seemed surprised.

"You don't know?" he asked. "I thought we told you." Zuko shook his head and muttered something about a music night.

"It's a long story," Katara interjected, before Aang could start. Sokka made a mental note to tell Zuko the story later. "Anyway,while that was pretty risky and pretty crazy, it's not as crazy as dressing you up as the Fire Lord in Zuko's place. I don't know if you've noticed, but you two aren't exactly identical twins." He brushed that off.

"We could use face paint or something."

"You'd allow us to put make up on you? You're girlier than Twinkletoes," Toph laughed. "You've spent way too much time on Kyoshi Island."

"I'm still manly! I'm doing this for the safety of the Fire Nation," Sokka defended.

"Well, there's still the matter of hair. What wig do you plan on wearing?" Katara asked, smirking.

"And, don't you think that people will be suspicious when the 'Fire Lord' never fire bends?" Aang pointed out. Sokka threw his hands up in the air, in frustration.

"Fine, it doesn't have to be me. Just disguise someone else that we trust." Zuko shook his head.

"No," he said firmly. "As stupid as it would be to see you try to impersonate me, that wasn't my main reason for rejecting your plan. I can't let you or anyone else put yourself in danger in my place. Besides, no matter who you choose, how would they fair any better than I would? We don't even know what we're supposed to be looking out for."

"Toph and I could find out," Sokka volunteered. "We could do some snooping around."

"I don't remember volunteering for that," Toph said. Sokka gave her a look, before realizing that she couldn't see it.

"Are you telling me that you don't want an excuse to eavesdrop on people?"

"I never said that," she said grinning. Judging by her mischievous smile, someone's stuff was going to be "misplaced" while they were out of their room.

"We were lucky not to get noticed back when the war was going on, especially with the war going on. Now, we're all pretty well known. Don't you think a group that wants to take down the Fire Lord knows what his friends look like?" Katara asked. Sokka had already prepared for that.

"You're right, they would recognize Sokka," he agreed. "But, they won't know who Wang Fire is!" He pulled his Wang Fire beard out of his pocket and held it up. Aang frowned.

"Why do you keep a fake beard with you?" he asked. "And, what about Toph?" Sokka brushed him off.

"I have my reasons," he answered vaguely. "And, Toph can be Sapphire Fire."

"I thought I was Sapphire Fire," Katara said.

"Those are the worst aliases ever. How did you not get caught by the Fire Nation?" Zuko demanded.

"Wow, you guys are really picky today," Sokka observed. He received multiple glares for that comment. He rolled his eyes and said, "Katara, too bad, you're being replaced by Toph. Zuko, no offense, but the officials of the Fire Nation aren't very smart. " Zuko shook his head.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"You're right, it's not," Toph said. "Besides, Snoozles is going shopping with me, today."

"But, you hate shopping," Sokka said, surprised. Toph not-so-subtly dropped a rock on his foot. He let out a yelp and rubbed his foot. "You love shopping," he corrected, glaring at her. He jumped off his chair and dragged Toph with him out of the room.

* * *

"Can't we do a just a little browsing?" Sokka whined. He wasn't the biggest fan of the Fire Nation, but he had to admit, they had great merchandise.

"Hey, I had to put up with you gushing over every little thing yesterday. We're not 'browsing' for anything. My reputation is on the line here. Since I'm the one who wanted to come out here, I can't go back with bags of useless things."

"But, we told the others that we were going shopping. They'll be suspicious if we don't bring anything back. We should probably buy something, just in case," Sokka tried. Toph saw right past his rationalization.

"Nice try, but no." Sokka pouted. It was torture to be surrounded by all those shops and not be able to buy anything.

"I thought you loved shopping." Sokka swore loudly as Toph bent another rock on his foot. An old lady nearby gave him a dirty look.

"You should watch your language, young man, especially around young girls like her," the lady scolded, pointing at Toph. Sokka hastily apologized and did his best not to glare at a certain earth bender.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Sokka muttered, "I'm wearing a beard, and she called me 'young man.' She must be really old."

"Wang Fire, you should show better manners around young girls like me," Toph mocked. Sokka glared at her.

* * *

Several hours later, Sokka and Toph had gotten nothing but sweaty and tired. The Fire Nation marketplace may have been a main place of chatter during the day, but it wasn't the kind of chatter they were looking for.

"Well, that was a brilliant waste of time," Toph complained, as they trudged back to the palace.

"No, we found just about every piece of gossip in the area," Sokka said, rolling his eyes.

"Oh yeah, those were some of the dullest conversations ever. The Fire Nation must have the least successful marriages in the world."

"Think we'll learn more if we show up at midnight?"

"You're on your own. I'm going to throw a boulder at someone if I hear about one more cheating husband." Sokka had to admit, that he, too, had gotten very close to resorting to boulder throwing. He was looking in the wrong place.

* * *

Zuko liked fish. It wasn't his favorite food, because most people cooked it with too much salt. He didn't mind it, though, which was why he was a little confused as to why everyone had automatically assumed that he didn't like it. Considering all that had happened today, it was a little odd that he was so hung up on something as trivial as food preferences.

"I like fish," he protested. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, I don't know. I just assumed that you didn't like it, " Sokka said.

"Why would you assume that?" Zuko asked. He tried to remember if he insulted fish or sea food on some occasion. He didn't think he had.

"Well, you don't really seem like a fish kind of guy," Sokka answered, studying him.

"What _does_ a 'fish kind of guy' seem like? What does that even mean?" Sokka shrugged. Zuko wondered for what seemed like the hundredth time that day how someone so smart could be so dumb in some cases. As dinner progressed, Zuko noticed that Sokka was even quirkier than usual. He had a feeling that that meant Sokka was up to something. He wasn't sure what it was yet, but he was already dreading it.

"So, what did you two do today?" he asked.

"Sokka offended an old lady," Toph answered immediately.

"I didn't offend her!" Sokka protested. "She just thought that I was a bad influence."

"You called her old," Toph countered.

"I had a beard, Toph. If she considered me a young man, she must have been really old."

"You cursed in front of her."

"That was your fault," Sokka said, defensively.

"How is it my fault?"

"You dropped a rock on me!" Toph shrugged.

"You were being annoying," she replied.

"You know normal people just tell them to stop. They don't bend rocks at them." Zuko sighed. He was probably better off not knowing.

* * *

 _(A/N): I'm sorry, I never intended to go this long with out updating. I just wasn't sure where exactly I wanted this story to go. Anyway, I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!_


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